She'd once again suggested dumping the child at an orphanage, and once again, Emma George had unleashed a furious tirade.

Taking advantage of the moment, she announced her intention to leave. Still seething, Emma didn't stop her.

So Adelaide George really did walk away, leaving the child behind in Emma's care.

After that, their paths split for good.

No one knew where Adelaide went. Emma George, left with the baby, eventually found a man who didn't mind that she came with a child. She married him. That man happened to be Kevin Lane's driver.

A few months later, out of the blue, Adelaide called Emma. She said she didn't have much time left.

Emma went to see her at the hospital-and in the end, she was the one who arranged for Adelaide's burial.

On her deathbed, Adelaide finally told Emma the truth about the child.

But no matter how hard Emma pressed, Adelaide stubbornly refused to reveal where her own biological daughter was, or who her adoptive parents were.

All these years, Emma had been quietly searching. Only after coming to the capital did she finally discover the family Adelaide had exchanged the child with—she found a clue tucked away in an old photo album Adelaide had left behind.

That's how she found Isabella Austin and the couple who had raised her.

After listening to Emma George recount everything, Emily Blair finally understood why she had always heard that Adelaide had abandoned her child at an orphanage, but when she went to look, there was no trace to be found.

Emma fidgeted anxiously with her hands, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's how it happened."

Emily could never have dreamed things would turn out this way.

For twenty-five years, the woman she'd called "mother" wasn't her biological mother at all.

Her lifelong rival, Isabella Austin, was actually her birth parents' real daughter. As if that weren't enough, Isabella was also the daughter of Emily's most respected mentor.

Emily's biological parents had raised Isabella with boundless love and affection. Worse, those same parents saw Emily as a thorn in their side, blamed her for Isabella's death, and wished she'd disappear for good.

Emily had never been one to wallow in sorrow or drag things out, but at that moment, faced with the truth, she couldn't help but feel utterly lost.

It wasn't her birth parents' rejection that stung the most. What hurt more was realizing she wasn't Emma George's daughter by blood—and that Emma seemed to care deeply for Isabella Austin.

Emma said softly, "I know you and Isabella had your differences, but she's still my niece. I just thought... if she could come back to the family, that would be a good thing. You're my daughter, and she's my niece. I don't want to lose either of you."

Emily gazed at her in silence.

News of Isabella Austin's death had been deliberately suppressed. Almost no one on the outside knew, and Emily had never brought it up in front of Emma George.

Emma had no idea Isabella was gone.

She did have her suspicions about something, but nothing was confirmed.

As the silence stretched on, Emma grew increasingly uneasy and looked up at Emily, only to look away again almost immediately. "Emily, do you... resent me?”

Emily replied, "Resent you for what?"

Emma's voice was small. “You should have grown up in a wealthy family. Instead, I raised you. If my sister hadn't switched the babies, you'd be a lady of privilege, just like Isabella Austin. Your life wouldn't have been so hard, and I had nothing-no money or connections to help you. If you went back to your birth parents, it'd be different for you."

She lowered her head again, rubbing her hands nervously. "If you want to reunite with your real parents, go ahead. I-Mom will support you. Don't worry about me."